title: The effect of maturation and aging on the structure and content of link proteins in rabbit articular cartilage.
abstract: We have examined extracts of articular cartilage from rabbits aged 3-100 weeks for evidence of age-related changes in the structure and content of link protein (LP) in this tissue, with the following findings: (a) Two major molecular weight forms of LP were seen on SDS-PAGE (41 and 48 kDa) and the proportion of these changed markedly with age. The 48 kDa species was predominant in young animals (representing about 78% of the total LP at 5 weeks) whereas the 41 kDa species increased in amount with age (representing 35% of the total LP at 100 weeks). A minor form of about 43 kDa, representing less than 20% of the total, was present only during the growth phase. A small amount of fragmented link protein (less than 5% of the total) of about 25-30 kDa was present in samples from mature and aged rabbits only. (b) The quantitation of LP in guanidinium: HCl extracts of cartilage, by radioimmunoassay with monoclonal antibody 8-A-4, was markedly influenced by the conditions of preparation and pretreatment of samples. Assays of dialyzed guanidine extracts following treatment at 80 degrees C for 15 min in 0.025% (w/v) SDS indicated that immature and mature cartilage contains about 50 and 180 micrograms of LP/g of tissue, respectively. On the other hand, assays following treatment at 100 degrees C for 20 min in 0.1% (w/v) SDS suggested that rabbit cartilage contains about 300 micrograms of LP/g of tissue at all ages; finally, assay of CsCl purified proteoglycan samples under these conditions indicated a content of about 500 micrograms of LP/g at all ages. (c) Calculations based on the analysis of proteoglycan preparations for aggregating monomer and link protein suggest that a LP:aggregating monomer molar ratio of about 0.9 is maintained in the articular cartilage throughout maturation and aging in the rabbit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Flannery
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Urbanek
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sandy
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013048:Specimen Handling; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein